British Esports appoints Joel Lavery as VP of Strategic Partnerships and Major Events

The British Esports Federation has today announced the appointment of Joel Lavery as a new Vice President, with lead responsibility for developing strategic partnerships and major events. 

Joel is a senior strategic advisor with over 30 years of experience specialising in strategic partnership development, major event strategy, and policy leadership regionally and nationally in sport. He is widely recognised for his ability to design and deliver impactful strategies that leverage sport commercial investment and major events to drive economic, social and community outcomes.

In 2009 Joel joined British Cycling as National Partnership Manager and drove the expansion of the Skyride ‘Inspiration to Participation’ strategy across UK cities and local authorities. Then, as Head of Partnerships & Major Events, led the HSBC UK ‘societal partnership’ and Major Events Strategy including policy and legacy planning for the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships 2023.

Most recently as Strategic Lead for Major Sporting Events at the West Midlands Growth Company, Joel built the region’s global sporting profile, shaping the sports hosting strategy for the £24m Birmingham 2022 Business & Tourism Programme, which aimed to use the Commonwealth Games to drive trade, tourism and investment in the region and helped secure the first Commonwealth Esports Championships in 2022. 

Joel was instrumental in creating a £6m Commonwealth Games Major Events Fund, which led to West Midlands hosting the SportAccord World Business and Sport Summit in 2024. The Commonwealth Games Major Events Fund also helped to secure new esports events for the West Midlands such as Dota 2, the Rocket League Championship Series and a major upcoming event. 

Joel also sits on the Executive Board of the International Association of Event Hosts, is a steering board member for the IWG Global Conference on Women & Sport 2026, and is a regular guest speaker at international conferences. He is also a former British Heavyweight Taekwondo Champion and GB Team member.

Chester King, President of British Esports, said: “Since working together on the first ever Commonwealth Esports Championships and on subsequent Major Esports events and conferences, Joel has been a great friend and supporter of the British Esports Federation – and has been an influential advocate and champion for the work we are doing to elevate the status of British Esports. 

“Our work is receiving unprecedented attention from national governments around the world, new commercial partners, sporting organisations and bodies, gaming publishers, major event organisers and rights holders. We are thrilled to secure Joel’s appointment as he brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in sports strategy, policy and partnership working with local and national governments, sports governing bodies and major events, and is perfectly placed to help us navigate through this critical next phase in the organisation’s growth and future ambitions.”

Joel Lavery, VP of Strategic Partnerships and Major Events, added:  “I am delighted to be appointed as a Vice President of British Esports. The progress Chester King, Dave Martin and the entire board and team at British Esports have made over recent years has been remarkable and deeply impressive. I am honoured by the faith they have shown in me and look forward to contributing to the organisation’s future strategic development.

“Esports is one of the fastest-moving and most exciting sectors in the world, but it is more than gaming and competition — it’s community, education and opportunity. Together with our partners and the wider ecosystem, I’m excited to help shape the future of British Esports — championing talent, driving innovation, and ensuring Esports continues to thrive across the UK and beyond. 

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the organisation, and I look forward to working with the board, colleagues, players, and wider stakeholders to take British Esports to the next level.”

Joel joins British Esports at an important time in the federation’s development, which looks forward to the completion of its new 15,000sq foot National Gaming and Esports Arena in early 2026. This will support esports players in major future tournaments including Esports World Cups and Olympic Esports Games.

The arena will sit alongside the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) in Sunderland, supporting player growth and development.  

British Esports continues to grow its British Esports Students Championships across the UK, and was recently appointed by The Ministry of Defence to deliver a new first-of-its-kind defence and industry esports tournament: the International Defence Esports Games.

Joel Lavery can be contacted at joel.lavery@britishesports.org